Ben Tate, the veteran signed in free agency, says no running back on the Browns is close to him when it comes to talent.
Tate was a spectator for all but a handful of drills in the three-day minicamp that concluded on June 12. He is nagged by a minor injury, but says he would have played had a game been scheduled.
Meanwhile, rookie Terrance West looks made for the scheme designed by offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. West makes one cut and then accelerates into the secondary.
“Honestly, I’m not worried about that because I know when I’m on my game — I respect every running back here — but there’s nobody that can really touch me or that is close to what I do,” Tate said after practice. “When I know what I’m doing, what I’m supposed to do, there’s nobody in that room that scares me. I’m just honest.
“Competition is a healthy thing. If I come in here and say, ‘I got this locked down,’ and don’t compete, that’s how you lose your job. That’s how you find your way out of the league fast. I’m a natural competitor. That’s just in me.”
West wants that starting job. The Browns moved up in the draft to select him in the third round. He has not been overwhelmed making the jump from Towson.
“That’s our job out here, to come out here and compete, push each and every one forward to bring the best out of each other,” West said. “That’s what I’m here to do. I want to play. I want to be the starter, and I’m going to practice like a starter.
”Everybody had to be a rookie before they became a vet. I’m learning the playbook fast, and I’m feeling very good about it.”
Tate was Arian Foster’s backup in Houston for three years before signing as a free agent with the Browns in March. He rushed for 1,992 yards on 421 carries (4.7 average) and 10 touchdowns with the Texans.
West rushed for 41 touchdowns as a senior last season.
Official blazing trail
Officials worked the Browns minicamp, and one of them was Sarah Thomas, a mother of three from Brandon, Mississippi, and a pharmaceutical rep. Thomas is an official in Conference USA, a football conference that includes Tulsa, East Carolina, Rice, Tulane and Southern Mississippi, among other schools.
Thomas worked as a line judge for the last two days of minicamp. She tucked her long blond hair under her cap.
“I’ve never thought of myself as a pioneer, but being held as the first in a lot of categories I understand the importance of it — what it means for a lot of, not only females, but minorities,” Thomas said after practice. “So, I never set out to be a pioneer, but I embrace that title.
“Being raised with brothers, I’m just one of the guys, I guess. I don’t try to be one of the guys. I am a female, but I don’t look at myself as just a female. I look at myself as an official. With their respect and the respect that I have for them, it just doesn’t feel like it’s a male-dominated profession.”
Thomas worked an NFL preseason game last summer and expects to get one this season. Her goal is to eventually make it as an NFL official for the regular season.
“She did a good job. She was calling everything,” Browns cornerback Joe Haden said. “I couldn’t snap on her. I was chilling.”
Pettine’s message
The time between the end of minicamp and the start of training camp — about six weeks — is always a nervous time for coaches because players are on their own. Pettine had a parting message for his players.
“We built a good foundation,” Pettine said. “The key thing for a mature team is to take this break and keep on a rise. We can’t afford to take a step back and really be back at the beginning when we get to training camp. It was a challenge for the guys to stay in shape. Their playbooks will be available to them throughout this break, as well. We should be able to get ahead mentally for training camp, as well.”
Rookies will stick around the next two weeks. They are in Berea next week and the following week will be in Aurora for the rookie symposium. Part of the symposium will be spent in Berea.
Gordon news expected
Pettine said he expects the NFL to announce how it plans to discipline Josh Gordon before training camp begins. Gordon reportedly tested positive for marijuana during a random drug test over the winter.
“We haven’t been given a date,” Pettine said. “I think, in fairness to us, the league would let us know. There’s no information as far as what the plans are to release it, but I think we’re all comfortable thinking that we should know before training camp starts.”
Gordon was suspended the first two games of 2013 and docked two more game checks for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Browns claim tight end
The Browns on June 12 claimed tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi off waivers from the Miami Dolphins. Ogbuehi originally signed with Washington as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He was waived during final roster cuts and spent the final four weeks of his rookie season on the Dolphins’ practice squad.

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About the Author

Jeff has covered the Cleveland Browns since 1981. He also covers the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League and the Cleveland Gladiators in the Arena Football League. Reach the author at jschudel@morningjournal.com
or follow Jeff on Twitter: @JSBrownsInsider.